Skipping Walks vs. Facing Triggers: What’s Best for My Dog?

Hi everyone,
This is both a vent and an advice-needed post.

Since my husband works at a ski resort in France during the winter season, my dog and I spend some time here too. We avoid the busiest months like December and February, but it’s still generally crowded year-round.

My dog is mildly reactive to strangers, it's mostly men, drunk, loud men or strangers staring, trying to pet him, especially in nighttime or indoor situations.

Our daily routine usually includes a 1-hour walk before the ski slopes open (before I start my remote work day) and a 2-hour walk at lunchtime in the woods. During these walks, we occasionally encounter groups of people, but my dog handles it well—even with men—because they’re sober, it’s daylight, and he’s focused on playing with sticks and snowballs.

For his last walk/playtime, I try to go out around 7 PM to avoid the chaotic 5 PM rush when the ski slopes close and crowds pour in. By this time, it’s usually quieter, and we can play in the snow away from returning skiers—both calm families and drunk partygoers. However, some off-leash dogs occasionally run up to my dog, who’s on a long leash.

I’m not sure he could hold his bladder from 2 PM until 9 PM, but even at 9 PM, the resort is still full of drunks. Also, I can see he's expecting to go out around the late afternoon/early evening, because he's always happy to go out for a walk.

Last night, two 70kg Irish Wolfhounds chased my 37kg dog. I dropped the long leash so he could defend himself or escape. While the Wolfhounds were clumsy but friendly, the encounter clearly stressed him out—especially since their owner had zero recall.

If that wasn’t bad enough, moments later, we encountered a group of drunk men skiing recklessly downhill at nearly 70 km/h, passing just 2 meters from us. They were yelling, stumbling, and making barking noises at my dog.

When we finally got to the entrance of our building, I put my dog’s muzzle on to avoid potential incidents indoors. Ski resorts can get chaotic with people running, yelling, and throwing things. However, the same drunk men appeared again. My dog, already visibly scared and shaking, resisted putting on his muzzle. Once I managed to get it on, the men started mocking him:
“Oh, look at the big scary dog with his muzzle on!”
“Oh, that big scary dog is scared and hiding behind his mommy!”

I was furious but didn’t say anything—I just wanted to get my dog back to the safety of our apartment. Once inside, he was clearly on edge. Later, when my husband took him out for a quick bathroom break, my dog was reactive to everything—shadows, people, everything.

Thankfully, this morning, he seemed more like himself: neutral to people and dogs. However, he still didn’t appreciate a dog approaching him too quickly and roughly.

Now I’m wondering: should I continue these late walks, knowing situations like this might happen?

I’ve been working so hard to help my dog become less reactive, and he’s improved a lot. We can now visit cities and restaurants, and he remains calm and neutral in those settings. But encounters with reckless, inconsiderate people like this make me fear that his progress could be undone. I also worry that repeated exposure to poorly managed off-leash dogs might make him dog-reactive too.

Thankfully, we’re leaving this ski resort in 12 days. When we return in late March or April, there will be far fewer tourists.

Any advice or thoughts on how to handle situations like this would be greatly appreciated.